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Crean College Leadership Council

Mr. Simon Castellanos

Mr. Castellanos has dedicated nearly two decades of his professional career to the health and well-being of the patients his companies have served. He successfully led as the President of Fresenius Medical Services (FMS), the largest US division of Fresenius responsible for dialysis treatment to over 160,000 patients at 2,060 outpatient facilities and 900 hospitals across the country. Under his leadership at FMS, overall quality outcomes including hospitalization and mortality rates improved substantially due to standardization of processes and protocols, and globally Fresenius was named a Most Innovative Company by Forbes for three consecutive years. Before that, Mr. Castellanos directed improvement in outcomes and overall results through several leadership roles at Fresenius, and at Gambro Healthcare International.

Mr. Castellanos is known for his passion for best-in-class quality in clinical outcomes and patient care, and his strong belief that employees’ steadfast commitment together with proven protocols will best enable successful results.

Mr. Rich Coury

Co-founder of Coury and Buehler Physical Therapy

Rich has extensive training in rehabilitation of sports, orthopedic, and neurological injuries/disorders. He also serves as a senior instructor for the manual therapy based mentorship program at CBPT. Over the past 10 years CBPT has grown from a small two man office to 4 locations throughout Orange County with a 5th opening in February 2015. CBPT is well respected in the community for providing excellent physical therapy services with exceptional customer service and patient outcomes. CBPT has received multiple recognitions including Top Practice in the Nation by Advance Magazine and Top Work Places by the Orange County Register.

Rich received his Bachelor of Science and his Master of Physical Therapy at Chapman University. Rich is also one of the co-founders of POISE (Prevention of Injury and Sports Enhancement), a successful injury prevention program developed to assist athletes prevent significant injuries, help obtain full recovery for return to their sport, and enhance performance on the field or court.

Rich is a diehard sports fan. Although he considers himself a “So Cal Native,” he is a lifelong Ohio State Buckeye and Cleveland Browns fan! In his spare time Rich enjoys working out, coaching his kids’ soccer teams, and spending time with his wife and family.

Ms. France Dixon Helfer

CEO, TinyKicks LLC

Ms. Helfer is the Chief Executive Officer for TinyKicks LLC, a University of California developed healthcare technology company recently spun out into the EvoNexus Irvine Incubator. With over thirty years in the Medical Device and Healthcare Industry, over 20 as a senior executive, Ms. Helfer brings Serial Entrepreneurship and leadership, Business and Corporate Development, Product Development and R&D, and International Sales and Marketing expertise for Fortune 500, start-up and emerging growth companies.

Her career includes successful C- level executive positions at Halo Healthcare, Medtronic, SORIN Biomedical, Xenotech Labs (acquired by MDT), Eclipse Surgical and MDDataDirect. As founder and CEO of Pegasus Biologics, she raised $32M, and in less than three years, built the company into an emerging growth revenue company with a solid product pipeline, acquired by Synovis Life Systems and more recently, Baxter. She has raised over $50M in angel funding and qualified Venture Capital firms. She worked at JNJ and Pfizer-Shiley in management positions early in her career, both following acquisitions.

Ms. Helfer serves on the Biomedical Leadership Council of OCTANe, and is a member of HBA’s Executive Advisory Boards. She is a Mentor and Entrepreneur in Residence for Chapman University’s Leatherby School of Entrepreneurship. She is renowned as a women’s leadership mentor and motivational speaker for women business leaders, particularly in science and technology. She serves on numerous boards and as a strategic advisor to medical companies. Helfer graduated in Biologic Sciences from CSUF, attended graduate school in business management from University of Redlands, and has taken advanced coursework and continuing education at UCI and USC.

Ozzie Martinez, MPH

Ozzie brings nearly 20 years of health care experience to his position as Chief Administrative Officer. He started his healthcare career at the Veterans Affairs Health System and joined Kaiser Permanente in 2002. In his regional role, Ozzie led the Southern California region in developing and implementing the Proactive Office Encounter program. This has become a foundation of clinical operations and has built our capability and reputation for clinical excellence and preventive care throughout the nation, as recognized by the prestigious Kaiser Permanente James A. Vohs Award for Quality.

Ozzie joined Kaiser Permanente South Bay as the Vice President of Operations for the Clinical Support Service Line in 2009, where he was responsible for operations over ambulatory and hospital-based departments. A champion for care transformation, Ozzie continues to be an advocate for cultural diversity and inclusion work, innovation, and strategy in health care.

Ozzie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Chapman University, a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and has completed the Executive Leadership Program at Harvard University. He has been involved in many community organizations and fellowships throughout his career and most recently inducted into the Upsilon Phi Delta National Health Administrator Honor Society. He is a transformational leader, committed to continuous learning, application of diverse solutions and approaches to improve the overall health of our members and communities we serve, and investing in others by mentoring and developing future leaders.

Dr. Maria Minon

Vice President Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Maria Minon, a native of Argentina, has dedicated her career to ensuring the well-being of children. Dr. Minon graduated with her medical degree from University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and holds board-certification in pediatrics. Her pediatric residency was spent at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC Children’s) followed by a chief residency. Dr. Minon worked in private practice as a pediatrician for nearly 20 years and still hears from grateful parents and patients to this day. Dr. Minon was named as CHOC’s Vice President Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer in 1998. She is dedicated to serving the needs of Orange County’s children and families and thus serves as Chair Pre Tem of the Orange County Children and Families Commission, the Executive Advisory Committee of the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, the St. Jude Medical Center Board of Trustees and on the Medical Advisory Board of the Painted Turtle Camp. Dr. Minon recently concluded many years of service as a Board of Trustees member of the Orange County Ronald McDonald House including service as Board Chair. Dr. Minon is also dedicated to the future of healthcare in Orange County and enjoys mentoring students who are interested in a career in medicine.

Dr. Dele Ogunseitan, MPH

Professor of Public Health University of California, Irvine

Dele Ogunseitan is Professor of Public Health and Professor of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine, where he currently serves as Chair of the Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention. He helped establish the Global Health Research, Education and Translation (GHREAT) initiative, and he is the Director of Research Education, Training and Career Development for the NIH-Funded Institute for Clinical and Translational Science.

He earned his doctorate in Microbiology at the Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, and his Master of Public Health in Environmental Health Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also earned a certificate in International Health. He earned a certificate in Teaching by Case Method at Harvard School of Public Health. He served as a Josiah Macy Foundation fellow at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and as an Institute Faculty for Vulnerability Assessments at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria. He is alumni faculty fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

In 2012, he received the Leadership Excellence (ACE) award from the International OpenCourseWare Consortium; and recognition for Outstanding Contribution to the Health and Human Services from 2-1-1OC. He served for three years on the State of California’s Green Ribbon Science Panel. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the UC Global Health Institute, and on the Board of Directors of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH).

Mr. Frankie Rosario

Chairman and President of the Board of Directors, Orange County Childhood Language Center

Mr. Rosario has been in the information technology field for over 25 years. At the beginning of his professional career, he joined a software consulting firm where he became the manager of the customer services group. He was later recruited by a large security and investigations corporation to lead a systems administration team, responsible for the acquisition, integration and deployment of custom solutions. He was later hired by a global leader in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) where he was responsible for the deployment of several hardware and software technology solutions. He later became Vice President of a consulting services company where he worked in business development and marketing.

Mr. Rosario is currently working for Extron Electronics, a worldwide leading manufacturer of professional AV system integration products with headquarters in Anaheim, California. As Director of the Information Technologies department, he is responsible for overseeing their global corporate network infrastructure, network security, and deployment of software solutions and support.

As a member of the Scottish Rite Masons in Orange County, he was appointed Chairman and President of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Childhood Language Center in Santa Ana, California. He is also a member of the Board of Counselors for the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program, Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at Chapman University.

Dr. Larry Santora, M.D.

Actively practicing cardiology for more than 30 years, Dr. Larry Santora is triple board-certified in cardiovascular disease, internal medicine and cardiovascular computed tomography (cardiac CT). He continues to put considerable time into the one-on-one consultations with each of his patients.
Sharing clear and concise information about health and wellness is primary among the reasons for the creation of “Health Matters with Dr. Larry Santora.” There is so much information out there, and even doctors sometimes have a hard time keeping up with it. On “Health Matters,” Dr. Santora cuts through all the hype and complicated medical terms and gives you the straight talk.

Dr. Santora is the medical director of The Orange County Heart Institute and Research Center in Orange County, Calif. He has specialized in the treatment of advanced heart disease for almost three decades through interventional cardiology (balloon angioplasty and stenting of coronary arteries). He is committed to early diagnosis and prevention of cardiovascular disease.

He is the medical director of The Center for Heart and Vascular Wellness and Prevention, The Cardiac Rehabilitation Center and The Dick Butkus Center for Cardiac Screening, all at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif.

Dr. Santora is co-author of The OC Cure for Heart Disease with NFL star linebacker Dick Butkus and Steve A. Armentrout, M.D. Dr. Santora is also co-author of Women and Heart Disease with Shalizeh Shokooh, M.D., and Kelly Tucker, M.D. In addition, Dr. Santora has published the only scientific paper suggesting a link between anabolic steroids and heart disease.

Dr. David Schillinger

Dr. Schillinger co-founded Hospital Physician Partners, formerly known as EDCare, in April 2002. Prior to that, Dr. Schillinger served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ECS Holdings since inception of ECS and its predecessor entity in 1988. He is a graduate of Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia and completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center in 1986. An ABEM board certified emergency medicine physician, Dr. Schillinger has been practicing emergency medicine for 30 years, and is licensed to practice in 27 states.

He currently works clinically at many of our client hospitals. Since 2005 he has also been Chairman for the Board of Directors for Oceanus Insurance Company.

Ms. Sherry Schulman

Sherry Schulman is a Registered Dietitian at both UC Irvine Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute and Paloma Medical Group. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology and her Master’s in Business at UC Irvine. She obtained her Master’s of Science in Nutrition, Healthspan and Longevity at University of Southern California; Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

She currently serves on the Advisory Board for the UC Irvine Merage School of Business and the Crean College Leadership Council Chapman University. Her goal is to motivate realistic lifestyle modifications to enhance sustainable health and wellbeing.

Kathleen Stillwell, MPA/HSA, RN, CPHRM

Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager, The Doctors Company

Ms. Stillwell is a nationally recognized expert in health care risk management and quality. She has over 35 years of experience in clinical risk management, professional liability claims management, high-risk underwriting, compliance, and quality. Her expertise includes physician practice management, hospitals and health care organizations.

Kathleen Stillwell earned Master’s Degrees in Public Administration and Health Services Administration. She is a registered nurse and has achieved the Certified Professional Health Care Risk Management designation from the American Hospital Association/American Society for Healthcare Risk Management. Ms Stillwell has served as faculty for the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management and is published in the American Hospital Society Risk Management Handbook for Healthcare Organizations. She has held numerous leadership positions with national and state risk management and quality organizations, including past Board Member for the American Society for Quality (ASQ), Healthcare Division, President of the CA State Patient Care Assessment Council, Board member for the California League of Nursing, adjunct faculty for Woodbury University and the University of San Francisco. She served on the Advisory Board of King International, Inc., and was a Charter Member of the Business Renaissance Institute.

As the nation’s largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer, The Doctors Company has always been guided by our mission: To advance, protect, and reward the practice of good medicine. Today, as healthcare delivery continues to undergo unprecedented change, it’s more important than ever to be a strong, trusted partner to help our members focus on what they do best—delivering care. That’s why we’re taking the mal out of malpractice insurance.

Dr. Michelle Thai

Co-Medical Director of St. Jude's Centers for Rehabilitation

Dr. Thai specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and as a certified Star Cancer Program physician, her areas of specialty include stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury, and oncology rehabilitation. Dr. Thai is a graduate of UC Davis School of Medicine and completed her internship and residency at UCI medical center. She has been running a successful rehab center in California, while serving as the Co-Medical Director for the Orthopedic and Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center at St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton, CA since 1991. Dr. Thai is also a faculty member and course director of UCI Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program. She served on the executive committee as chairwoman of the rehabilitation department at St. Jude Medical Center for several years. She is on the Skilled Nursing Facility consultant; her goal is to improve rehabilitation/post-acute care and facilitate the continuum of care.

Dr. Thai has been active in global health. As a native Vietnamese, Dr. Thai has returned to Vietnam multiple times to help improve health and education platforms. In Singapore, she has also been actively involved in designing a rehabilitation model that uses healthcare navigators to encourage elderly patients to participate in outpatient therapies and community exercise programs for Duke-National University and the Center for Ageing and Education.

Dr. Thai is currently working on the Tele-rehab project, which aims to provide rehabilitation care to mobility-challenged or less-accessible patients. Dr. Thai’s philosophy is to start early rehabilitation at the Intensive Care Unit level, allowing for a continuum of care regardless of their discharge destination (i.e. skilled nursing facilities or home). Dr. Thai strongly believes health care should be cost-effective, technologically enabled, collaborative, and globally accessible.